Jane Eyre (1944)

I absolutely love the 1944 version of Charlotte Bronte’s book “Jane Eyre”, starring Joan Fontaine as Jane Eyre and Orson Welles as Edward Rochester. Each time I watch this movie I feel in a way like I’m watching it for the very first time. I still am so captivated as I watch this incredible character study of how a woman who, despite her loneliness and continued rejection that she had received in her childhood, perseveres and continues to show kindness and love to those around her. Even in her darkest and most tragic of moments she still shows such great love and forgiveness.

The story of “Jane Eyre” is divided into three parts: the time that Jane spent at Gateshead Hall as a small child with her unloving aunt, the time that Jane spent at her school at Lowood, and then her time spent as a governess at Thornfield Hall.  “Jane Eyre” is filled with tragedy, romance, mystery, and hope. And thanks to little Adele, played by Margaret O’Brien, there are so many magical and touching moments. For a young girl Margaret O’Brien did a fabulous job as the little French girl that Jane is looking after. I love the scene where Adele first surprises Jane with a little ballerina music box on Jane’s first morning at the great Thornfield Hall. There are also two other child actors that add so much to this movie: The first girl is Peggy Ann Garner who plays Jane as a young girl and the second girl is the ever popular Elizabeth Taylor who plays Jane’s best and dearest friend Helen. All three of these young actors acted well beyond their years.

Orson Welles just felt like he suited the role of Edward Rochester. Welles is such a strong actor and was able to convey Rochester’s personality in a way that has seldom been seen in the other versions of this movie. He was very believable as a forceful, proud, strong, controlling, handsome and intimidating man, and at the same time he was able to show a side that was lonely, sad, and longing for love in his life. I often wonder if the personality that Orson Welles played as Edward Rochester was very similar to his own personality.

“Jane Eyre” is such a good movie, but despite the amazing story and acting, it just wouldn’t be the same without the English countryside where this story takes place. The countryside near Jane’s school at Lowood was so beautiful. I love the scene where Jane and Helen are racing the doctor back to Lowood through the rolling hills. Then there’s the area surrounding Thornfield Hall. This area was enchanting and mystical, especially as the fog surrounded the moors around the great hall. It provides the perfect setting for the first meeting of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.

In most movies the heroine is extremely beautiful, bold and strong willed. I like how Charlotte Bronte created Jane Eyre as plain, meek, shy and kind. She was the perfect match for Mr. Rochester. In his world of darkness he needed to know, see and experience that there was still goodness and kindness in this world. And she needed to know that she was worth loving. This is such a beautiful story and I am looking forward to watching it again. This movie also inspired me back when I was a young woman to read the story of Jane Eyre and also Wuthering Heights and other classics. I still love reading these classics. This is truly one of my favourite stories.

High Society (1956)

“High Society” is one of those fun movies. It has plenty of elegance, romance, humour, great acting, and thanks to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and yes even Grace Kelly, there is wonderful music to go along with the movie. The song “True Love” sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly is definitely one of the best love songs ever written and has always been one of my favourite songs.

I have always enjoyed watching “Philadelphia Story” with Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, and James Stewart. And I really do enjoy the remake “High Society” with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. Both movies are good and they offer such a different kind of feel to the story. If I had to pick one over the other I’d have to say that I’d choose “High Society”. The music in this movie is a great touch (perhaps I’m a little bit biased as I love the old jazz tunes and really love Louis Armstrong’s singing and playing). I also like the chemistry and interaction between Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. There is none as elegant and classy as Grace Kelly and she just seemed to fit the role a little better as Tracy Lord. But as good as Frank Sinatra was in this movie, no one could have ever compared to the similar role played by James Stewart as Mike Connor.

The storyline is quite simple. First, boy meets girl and they fall in love. Girl eventually leaves that boy. Then Girl finds another boy and is going to marry him. The first boy returns and the second boy is none too happy about that. At this point there is a lot of good dialogue and songs. The sister of the girl has some pretty funny lines. We catch a glimpse of a boating trip from many years back. Girl then hooks up with yet another boy and has a little fling with him. That doesn’t go over well with that boy’s lady friend and with the boy who’s there to get married. A watch goes missing. The second boy gets mad. And the first boy comes to the rescue. And then the first boy and the girl once again fall in love (Whew, that was a mouthful).

This is a wonderful movie and definitely one worth watching. The cast all works so well together. And how great is it that Louis Armstrong gets to both open and close the movie.

Laura (1944)

I have heard about the movie “Laura” for sometime, but until last night I had never watched this wonderful movie. This is a murder mystery so unlike so many others. It stars Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker, Vincent Price as Shelby Carpenter, Dana Andrews as Detective McPherson, and Gene Tierney as Laura.

The movie begins with the investigation of the murder of a high society woman named Laura. From the very beginning of the movie a detective is brought in to investigate her murder, and as the suspects are questioned it is then that we begin to know the story about Laura. There was just something special about this lady, so special that men were enthralled by her beauty, personality and style. This has a lot to do with the premise of the movie, of the three men that were so very captivated with their love for Laura.

If I didn’t know better I would have thought that the movie “Laura” was directed by Alfred Hitchock. Otto Preminger’s direction in this movie was so similar to the style of so many of Hitchock’s films, right down to the use of lighting (got to love those black and white movies for that reason alone), the background music, of course the plot, and the witty lines given to Clifton Webb despite the seriousness of the movie. When Waldo first met Laura he told her “My dear, either you were born on an extremely rustic community, where good manners are unknown, or you suffer from a common feminine delusion that the mere fact of being a woman exempts you from the rules of civilized conduct.” Another time he says, “I cannot stand these morons any longer. If you don't come with me this instant I shall run amok.”

I was familiar with many of the movies that Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price acted in and so expected that their roles in this movie would be very similar to what I knew. I quickly found out that this was not to be the case, especially with Vincent Price. In this movie Vincent Price was actually the tall and handsome suitor instead of the villain or evil scientist with the evil laugh like he was in so many of the horror movies.

I enjoyed watching this movie and the twist in the plot was such a good touch (I didn’t see that one coming, and that one, and that one too). It was filled with suspense, romance and jealousy. Now I understand why this movie has remained so popular after all of these years.

Roman Holiday

“Roman Holiday” truly has got to be one of the great romantic movies made, that and “An Affair to Remember” and the A&E version of “Pride and Prejudice” (with Colin Firth). Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn work so very well together, there just seems to be such chemistry between these two. Most people think that the perfect fairy tale is when the average girl meets the prince and they fall madly in love. I love how this movie has a twist on the story. That twist is that the beautiful and elegant princess meets an average news man (although Gregory Peck’s looks, style and personality are far from average) and they fall madly in love.

Gregory Peck plays Joe Bradley, an American reporter who is stationed in Rome, Italy. Audrey Hepburn, in her first Hollywood movie, plays Princess Ann who is in Rome on a European Royal Tour. I thought it was clever that nowhere in the movie is her country stated, leaving room for the viewer to imagine her from any country they would like that has a royal monarchy. This is a story about a young princess who is so overwhelmed with fulfilling all of her royal commitments. For one day she just wanted to experience life as just a regular person. That experience leads her to experience the beauty and enchantment of Rome in a way she couldn’t have imagined. And thanks to a tall handsome stranger and his friend Irving (played by Eddie Albert), she doesn’t have to experience Rome alone. At the same time she is unaware that her two new friends know exactly who she is and secretly they are working on getting “the story” of her big adventure.

The simplicity of Princess Ann in this movie is so moving as she experiences getting her hair cut short, eating ice-cream, and being given one carnation from a local vender. There are so many good scenes in this movie, and Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert, and Audrey Hepburn perform them oh so well. They must have had so much fun filming this movie. The scooter ride throughout the streets (and sidewalks) of Rome were quite entertaining as was the scenes at the dance. I love how they involved the local people, sometimes giving them such funny lines.

There were also some very touching scenes. One couldn’t help but be moved when Joe Bradley and Princess Ann were saying their goodbyes in the taxi. Princess Ann: “I have to leave you now. I'm going to that corner there and turn. You must stay in the car and drive away. Promise not to watch me go beyond the corner. Just drive away and leave me as I leave you”.  Joe Bradley: “All right”. Princess Ann: “I don't know how to say goodbye. I can't think of any words.” Joe Bradley: “Don't try.” And also Princess Ann says: “At midnight, I'll turn into a pumpkin and drive away in my glass slipper.” And Joe Bradley responds: “And that will be the end of the fairy tale.”

But for me the most touching scene had to be at the very end of the movie after Princess Ann had talked with the reporters. Without any words used, Princess Ann and Joe Bradley look deeply into one another’s eyes, and as she turns and walks away he continues to stay standing in the same place and his eyes continue to be fixed on where he last looked into her eyes. The other reporters and photographers leave and he is there alone. He turns and walks away, and all that is heard is the soft background music and the sound of his lonely footsteps.

I’m sure in time there will be a remake of this movie, but I can’t begin to imagine that it would compare with the beauty that this movie has. And I don’t think that the acting could ever compare with that of the legendaries Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

“Roman Holiday” and other movies filmed in Italy makes me long to go there once again.  The scenery and feel of those movies are so unique.  Just recently I watched the movie “Letters to Juliet” and was pleasantly surprised with it. So now if you’re ready for a Roman Holiday and can’t quite afford to go there in person, might I suggest watching these two wonderful movies. That’s what I plan to do.

Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963 movie)

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite movies, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” (1963) staring Glenn Ford as Tom Corbett, Shirley Jones as Elizabeth (their next door neighbour) and Ronny Howard as Eddie. This is the perfect summer time movie, although it’s also a pretty good movie to watch on a cold January day.

Eddie’s is about 8 years old and he and his father live in a small apartment in Manhattan. It has been awhile since Eddie’s mother and Tom’s wife passed away, and now Tom’s friends and Eddie are thinking it’s time for Tom to get back into the dating game. They hire a “live out” maid, Mrs. Livingston, and are going to experience new changes with the possibility of someone new joining their lives. Three women enter the story line, and it’s possible that one of these three will be Tom Corbett’s love of his life.

The first woman is Dolly Daley (played by Stella Stevens). She is beautiful, shapely and red-haired, from a small town, was in a local beauty pageant and decided to move to Manhattan to increase her self confidence. Tom and Eddie first meet Dolly when they stop at an arcade to play skeet ball. Eddie on first glance is totally enthralled by her beauty and soon she approaches them and asks to “borrow” Eddie. She wants him to come and sit with her so the “mashers” (or men) won’t hit on her while she gets her portrait painted on a tie for her father.  The tie ends up different than she expected as it was just her face that the artist painted and this put on the body of a woman in a bikini. Needless to say Eddie ends up with the tie and not Dolly’s father. This is such a fun scene, especially because the musical score during this scene just suits it so much.

The second woman is Elizabeth (played by Shirley Jones). Elizabeth lives next door to the Corbetts and was best friends with Tom’s wife. She’s beautiful, a nurse and just a very pleasant woman. She seems to care so much about Eddie and Eddie for her.

The third woman is Rita (played by Dina Merril). Rita is a chic fashion consultant and has her eyes set on Tom. Speaking of eyes, according to Eddie there are two kinds of women portrayed in his comic books. The good ones have small busts and big eyes, and the evil ones have big busts and squinty eyes. Eddie sees Rita as the second group and just can’t quite come to accept her.

Dolly Dayley was Eddie’s first choice for his dad, but wasn’t exactly the type of woman Tom wanted. Good thing she was the perfect match for his best friend played by Jerry Van Dyke. I won’t say who Tom ends up with, although I’m sure if you haven’t seen this you can already guess. It’s such a good story and Ronny Howard just does an amazing job in his acting, for a little guy his acting ability and maturity was well beyond his years.

There were lots of good parts of this movie, but if I were to pick one over the others it would be Eddie’s conversation with his father at the end of the movie. Eddie tries to coach his father on asking that certain woman suggests that they practice asking her, Tom of course playing himself and Eddie providing the voice of the woman. Eddie says, “Is there anything you want to ask me my sugar man?”… “I like you better my handsome man”. After Tom says “Will have you dinner with me dear?” Eddie, “That’s good dad, calling her dear.” And then once again as the voice of the woman he says “you bet my excellent strongman” … “Just call me tonight, tomorrow night and all week” … “and if you want to I’ll marry you. Just call me. I mean call her dad.” And best of all, he does.

Again, I really enjoyed Ronny Howard’s acting. He was also so good in “The Music Man” and other movies as well. There are a lot of kid actors in the business but just a few that really have stood apart from the others. In this category, along with Ronny Howard I would have to list Margaret O’brien, Shirley Temple, Natalie Wood, Freddie Bartholomew (from Captain’s Courageous), and the kids from “The Sound Of Music”. And more recently I would list Dakota Fanning and Freddie Highmore (from “Finding Neverland” and “August Rush”).

This is a both a fun and very touching movie and I would suggest that if you get the chance that you’d watch it and find out how good it is for yourself. And I can’t help but wonder whether all famous Director Ron Howard has ever been called “my excellent strongman” from his wife.

Gotta love those old movies

One of my favourite pastimes is watching some of the great old movies. There’s just something so special about watching actors like Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Claudette Colbert, Maureen O’Hara, and June Allyson, just to name a few. I find so many of the story lines so interesting, and even have learned how to appreciate the artistry in the filming and directing of the movie.

Over the years I now have personal favourites. Some of these include “Jane Eyre” (1944 version), Bette Davis’ “All  This And Heaven Too”, “The Inn of Sixth Happiness” with Ingrid Bergman, “Roman Holiday”, “The Rear Window”, “Gone With The Wind”,  “Little Women” with June Allyson and Margaret O’Brien, “An Affair to Remember”, and “The Stratton Story” with James Stewart and June Allyson. I have so many others that I could list, but I think my list would just go on and on. I think it’s safe to say that I do love the old classics. Even though I know the plot of these movies inside and out, each time I watch these movies I find that I’m totally captivated with the story as if it’s the first time I’ve watched them.

There are certain movies that one must watch during different times of the year. At Christmas I love watching the standards like “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “White Christmas” and “The Bishop’s Wife.” And I now have new holiday standards like “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Christmas in Connecticut”. Every Easter I watch “Easter Parade and every Halloween I like to watch Don Knotts in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

I love the old comedies, pretty much anything with Doris Day in it, Ma & Pa Kettle movies (including “The Egg and I”), “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” and the ever fun Don Knotts’ movies. At the same time I thoroughly enjoy dimming the lights and watching some good murder mysteries and also Alfred Hitchock films. It’s always interesting to locate the scenes where Hitchock makes a quick cameo. And then there’s the days where I just need a good movie to make me feel better. Some of these include, “Pollyanna”, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”, “Follow Me Boys” with Fred MacMurray, and the original “Parent Trap” with Hayley Mills.

When watching a movie in the theatre we generally have someone that comes along. And it’s after the movie that we usually go and grab a coffee and talk about the storyline, the acting and how the movie made us feel. When I watch a classic movie on tv, dvd, or video I don’t always have that luxury. Many of my friends don’t necessarily share my appreciation for the classics so I try not to talk too much about the movies I love. That’s why I decided to start this blog. I’ve never blogged before, in fact I must confess I have secretly laughed at those that do. This shall be a new experience for me whether or not anyone else ever reads this, and I do think it should be a fun thing to do.

If by any chance someone else does show up on my blog, I welcome you and hope you’ll add comments and or thoughts about those movies that I will be talking about and those movies that you enjoy. Where this all leads I don’t have a clue, but for what it’s worth it’s just this “Classic Movie Gal’s” silly way of having a conversation about the movies I enjoy, even if it’s just a one way conversation to and from myself. It’s time now to get the popcorn popping and let the movies begin.